Targeted messaging system and related methods

ABSTRACT

A system for targeted messaging includes a messaging platform for communicating messages to a target group, a target group selecting module for selecting the target group from a group of potential message recipients based upon a target criterion including the location of each potential message recipient relative to a predefined targeted region. A method of targeted messaging includes defining a targeted region, selecting a target group from a group of potential message recipients based upon the location of each potential message recipient relative to the targeted region, and transmitting a message to the selected target group.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of both U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/486,018, filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Officeon Jul. 10, 2003, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/490,717 filedin the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Jul. 29, 2003, theentirety of both applications is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to messaging systems, and, moreparticularly, to electronic messaging systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

Wireless communications networks have grown in recent years both interms of usage and sophistication. Wireless communications networksallow network users unprecedented flexibility as to where, when, how,and with whom they can communicate. No longer are network usersconstrained by a fixed-site telephone or computer terminal. Instead,various features and services for network users are combined into eversmaller, more portable devices such as cell phones andwirelessly-connected laptop computers.

A prevalent feature of many wireless networks is a messaging system. Forexample, many telecommunications service providers provide theircustomers with voice messaging services. A typical voice messagingsystem (VMS) informs a system user if an incoming call has been missed,for example, and allows callers to leave brief messages through themessaging system. Many such systems also support mailbox-to-mailboxmessaging, whereby users are able to communicate wirelessly with anothervia the sending and receiving of brief text messages. Short messagingsystems (SMS) are even simpler, providing an individual the opportunityto send and receive messages no matter where the individual may belocated.

Most, if not all, messaging systems, irrespective of their underlyingtechnology platform, are based on the age-old paradigms in which thereceiver and the receiver's location are largely co-dependent. Theseparadigms blur the message recipient's identity and the messagerecipient's location, thus precluding targeting messages to selectindividual who are in a particular zone or area. Another parameterlargely ignored by the old paradigms is the time element, which alsoprecludes targeting messages to select individual during a specifiedtime interval.

The result is that conventional messaging systems are not amenable totargeting messages on the basis of who the recipient is, where therecipient is, or how long the recipient is been at a designatedlocation. Indeed, conventional messaging systems typically only allow auser to target the recipient's in-box. Little or no accommodation ismade for targeting a group to receive a particular message. Accordingly,such messaging systems also preclude more sophisticated targeting ofrecipients because of factors such as whether the identified group ofrecipients constitutes a quorum for an underlying group of recipients orwhether potential recipients have been in or have visited a designatedarea a specified number of times or for specified periods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and related method for targetedmessaging. The system may include a messaging platform for communicatingmessages to a target group. The system also may include a target groupselecting module for selecting the target group from a group ofpotential message recipients. The selection may be based upon thelocation of each potential message recipient relative to a predefinedtargeted region.

A method of targeted messaging may be used in a telecommunicationssystem, such as a wireless telecommunications system. The method mayinclude defining a targeted region. The method further may includeselecting a target group from a group of potential message recipients,the selection being based upon the location of each potential messagerecipient relative to the targeted region. The method also may includetransmitting a message to the selected target group.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a machinereadable storage programmed to cause a machine to perform the stepsdescribed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communications network inwhich a messaging system according to one embodiment of the inventioncan be employed;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a messaging system according to oneembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3 contains a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method oftargeted messaging according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communications network 20with which the messaging system 22 according to one embodiment of theinvention may be used. The network 20 illustratively includes a pair ofwireless cellular telecommunication devices 24 a, 24 b. Each of thewireless cellular communication devices 24 a, 24 b communicates with theother via forward and reverse link channels to a base station 26, aswill be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Itwill be readily appreciated, moreover, that other devices and techniquesalternately may be used to link the wireless cellular communicationdevices 24 a, 24 b, and that the network 20 may include more than twosuch devices.

It also will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in theart that various other wireless communication devices may be used inconjunction with, or in lieu, of the wireless cellular communicationdevices 24 a, 24 b. Such devices include wirelessly linked laptopcomputers, palm-held devices, and various other known wirelesscommunication devices. Even though the invention is described herein inthe context of a wireless communications network 20, it will be apparentfrom the ensuing discussion that the messaging system 22 can, moreover,alternately be used in conjunction with a network of wire-linkeddevices. The system 22 likewise can be used in conjunction with a hybridcommunications network comprising both wireless and wire-link devices.

According to one embodiment of the invention, each of the wirelesscellular communication devices 24 a, 24 b defines a locatable device inthe sense that the geographic position of each device is readilyascertainable. The geographic position of each is illustrativelydetermined by a global positioning system (GPS) that includes at leastone geostationary satellite 28 that communicates with each of thewireless cellular communication devices 24 a, 24 b. Other devices andtechniques can alternately be employed for determining the position ofeach of the wireless cellular communication devices 24 a, 24 b, as willbe readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Forexample, the system 22 can include a location sensing module thatincludes a visual-based, infrared, ultrasonic or other location sensorthat facilitates determination of the location of the wireless cellularcommunication devices 24 a, 24 b.

The system 22, as illustrated, is connected to the wireless cellularcommunication device 24 b, for example via a wireless communicationslink such as a cellular or mobile wireless communications link. Althoughnot shown, the system 22 may also be connected as a discrete componentto the other wireless cellular communication device 24 a. Accordingly,for a network having more than two such devices, multiple copies of thesystem 22 may be connected to each such device individually. Asillustrated, the system 22 can be implemented as an informationprocessing system, such as a server or other computer system, havingsoftware configured to perform the various functions described herein.

The system 22 can communicate with client modules executing within eachwireless cellular communication device 24 a, 24 b, which also areconfigured to perform the functions described herein. Still, thewireless cellular communication device 24 a, 24 b can be equipped withdedicated circuitry including logic gates and other known processingcomponents in lieu of software or in combination with software. In anycase, the system 22 can perform particular monitoring and storagefunctions such as storing locations of the wireless cellularcommunication device 24 a, 24 b, logging the amount of time a device islocated with a particular geographic area, whether a city, county,state, or other geopolitical subdivision, and selectively determinewhich devices messages are to be sent or routed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of the messagingsystem 22 according to one embodiment of the invention. The system 22illustratively includes a messaging platform 30 for communicatingmessages to select message recipients. The system 22 also includes atarget group selecting module 32 for selecting a target group from agroup of potential message recipients. The target group selecting module32 selects the target group based upon a predetermined target criterion.The target criterion, for example, can be the location of each potentialmessage recipient relative to a predefined targeted region.

The targeting of messages to certain recipients that are located in apredefined targeted region advantageously avoids sending messages thatmay be, at least for some potential recipients, irrelevant. For example,when employed by members of a team, the system 22 avoids sendingmessages about a scheduled meeting to any team member that is not withinthe vicinity of the meeting and would not be able to attend the meetingeven if the message were received.

Additionally, the system 22 optionally includes a timing module 34. Thusthe target criterion can be based on a timing factor. For example, thetiming module 34 can indicate whether a potential message recipient isin a targeted region during a prescribed time interval so that thetarget group selecting module 32 can select the target group from agroup of potential message recipients based upon each potential messagerecipient's being within the targeted region during a prescribed timeinterval. For example, the system 22 may be employed by a retailer tocommunicate a message to potential recipients in the retailer's vicinityduring a prescribed time interval indicating that special sales event isscheduled to occur.

The timing module 34 also permits the target group selecting module 32to select the target group by observing the amount of time that apotential message recipient is within the targeted region. For example,each of the wireless cellular communication devices 24 a, 24 b canindicate to the system its position using the GPS satellite 28. Thelocations can be recorded by the system 22. The system 22 can includememory for storing data regarding the times that potential messagerecipients are in a targeted region.

The target group selecting module 32, randomly or at regular intervals,can then track and record the locations of each potential recipient atdifferent times. Accordingly, the target group selecting module 32 candesignate a potential message recipient to be a member of the targetgroup based upon the number of time intervals that the potential messagerecipient is in the targeted region. Alternately, the target groupselecting module 32 can designate a potential message recipient to be amember of the target group based upon the amount of time per differentinterval that the potential message recipient is in the targeted region.

This feature permits, for example, the system to be used by members of aclub to alert select club members of special events. For example, thetarget group selecting module 32 can identify club members who frequentthe downtown area of a city at least one Saturday night a month between11 p.m. and 2 a.m. On this basis, the system 22 could send message tothese club members about specific social events occurring in thedowntown area on any given Saturday evening.

This same timing module 34 also provides for the avoidance of sendingmessages that may not be relevant before or after certain dates ortimes. For example, a team leader may wish to send a message to teammembers who are in a targeted area on a certain date, at a certain time.By selecting the data and time, the team leader can schedule delivery ofthe message in the future so that it is automatically delivered withoutthe leader's being reminded to send the message. At the designated time,on the designated date, the message is duly sent by the system 22, butonly to those team members then in the targeted area. Accordingly, anyteam member that arrives in the targeted area after the scheduledmeeting need not be bothered with receiving an out of date message.

As noted above, the location of each wireless cellular communicationdevice 24 a, 24 b can be ascertained using the GPS satellite 28 or otherlocating device. Accordingly, the target group selecting module 32 alsoillustratively identifies to a user of the system 22 each potentialmessage recipient who is within a selected area or targeted region.Therefore, when used by members of a team, the system 22 allows the teamleader to call a team meeting only if and when a certain percentage ofthe team members are within the vicinity of the proposed meeting. Theteam leader is also thus able to identify which team members are in atargeted area or located farther away. This feature permits thescheduling of meetings on the basis of location rather than time alone.Another use of such a feature of the system 22 would be a family thatwishes to automatically remind any family member who happens to visit ashopping center in a designated target zone that certain items should bepurchased before that family member returns home.

The system 22 also optionally includes a polling module 36 for pollingeach member of a selected target group. The polling module 36 sends totargeted recipients messages requesting responses to one or morequestions. Illustratively, the polling module 36 polls each member ofthe selected target group who is within the prescribed message spacewithin a prescribed time interval. Used in conjunction with the timingmodule 34, the polling module 36 can be made to conclude the pollingwithin a prescribed period.

Each member of the selected target group responds to the polling via thepolling module 36 by transmitting a response. The response istransmitted to at least one other member of the selected target group.The polling module 36 illustratively passes the results of the pollingto the messaging platform 30. The messaging platform 30, in turn,transmits to members of the selected target group, or other selectedrecipients, the results of the polling.

This feature provides several practical advantages. For example, a teamleader can gain a team consensus among the team members even when theteam members are in different locations. Added with the other attributesof the system 22, this feature can be used, for example, by the teamleader to determine whether a sufficient number of team members are in atargeted area as well as the best time for the team members to meet in aface-to-face setting.

FIG. 3 is flowchart illustrating a method of targeted messagingaccording to one embodiment of the invention. The method illustrativelyincludes in step 110 defining a targeted region. In step 120, the methodfurther illustratively includes selecting a target group from a group ofpotential message recipients based upon the location of each potentialmessage recipient relative to the targeted region. The step 120 ofselecting a target group includes selecting the target group from agroup of potential message recipients based upon each potential messagerecipient's being within the targeted region. According to anotherembodiment, the step 120 of selecting a target group includes selectingthe target group from a group of potential message recipients based uponeach potential message recipient's being within the targeted regionduring a prescribed time interval.

The step 120 of selecting a target group, according to yet anotherembodiment, includes observing at different time intervals an amount oftime that each potential message recipient is within the targetedregion, and deciding to designate a potential message recipient to be amember of the target group based upon the number of time intervals thatthe potential message recipient is in the targeted region. According tostill another embodiment, the step 120 of selecting a target groupincludes observing at different time intervals an amount of time thateach potential message recipient is within the targeted region, anddeciding to designate a potential message recipient to be a member ofthe target group based upon the amount of time per different intervalthat the potential message recipient is in the targeted region.

The different time intervals for observing whether a potential messagerecipient is within the targeted region can be randomly selected.Conversely, the observations can be made at regular, predeterminedintervals. In the latter instance, the targeted group can be selectedbased on who is, or was, within the targeted region during one or moreregularly observed time intervals. For example, the target zone could bea commercial center such as a shopping mall, and the potential messagerecipients could be customers who visit the commercial center at varioustimes, whether on weekends, weekdays, evenings, or virtually any othertime. Thus, the step 120 of selecting a target group according to thisembodiment of the invention can advantageously be employed, for example,to answer a question such as “Which individuals frequent this commercialcenter on Sundays between 7AM and 1PM?”

The step 120 of selecting the target group can include filteringpotential message recipients based on whether their presence in thetargeted region over a period of time exceeds a minimum threshold. Thetarget group can be selected, for example, by asking the same questionregarding which individuals frequent a commercial center on a Sundaybetween 7AM and 1PM and additionally determining which of suchindividuals have been in the targeted region for a predetermined minimumpercentage of time during an observed interval. Such filtered selectingin step 120 permits a targeting entity to determine, for example, that acustomer was in the targeted region, the commercial center, on aparticular Sunday between 8AM and 11AM, thus surpassing a predeterminedcriterion requiring that a customer must have been present in thetargeted region at least 25% of the time during a six-hour interval.

Similarly, the step 120 of selecting the target group on the basis of apotential message recipient's frequency and/or duration in the targetedregion can also include filtering potential message recipients on thebasis of their having been in the targeted region a minimum number oftimes during the regularly observed time intervals. Accordingly, thestep 120 of selecting a target group can determine, for example, thatcustomer X was present in a targeted region between 7AM and 1PM on threeout of four consecutive Sundays, thus surpassing a threshold requirementthat a target group member must have been in the target region for atleast 50% of the observed time intervals.

As these examples illustrate, the step 120 of selecting a target groupcan be based upon what happened during a particular time interval, oralternately, on what occurred over several independently observed timeintervals. Accordingly, it should be emphasized in the context of theseexamples that the step 120 of selecting a target group can be carriedout retrospectively. Thus, the target group can be selected in step 120based on each potential message recipient's past pattern of beingpresent or absent from the targeted region during pre-selected,regularly observed time intervals.

The method additionally includes in step 130 transmitting a message tothe selected target group. Optionally, the method further includes instep 140 polling each member of the selected target group. The step ofpolling 140, according to one embodiment, can include polling eachmember of the selected target group who is within the targeted regionduring a prescribed time interval. The method optionally includes eachmember of the selected target group responding to the polling bytransmitting a response. The response can be transmitted, for example,to at least one other member of the selected target group. The step ofpolling 140 optionally includes concluding the polling within aprescribed period. In step 150, these results are optionally transmittedto members of the selected target group.

The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. The present invention can berealized in a centralized fashion in one computer system or in adistributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware and software can be ageneral-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when beingloaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carriesout the methods described herein.

The present invention also can be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of aset of instructions intended to cause a system having an informationprocessing capability to perform a particular function either directlyor after either or both of the following: a) conversion to anotherlanguage, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different materialform.

This invention can be embodied in other forms without departing from thespirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, reference should bemade to the following claims, rather than to the foregoingspecification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

1. A messaging system comprising: a messaging platform for communicatingmessages to a target group; and target group selecting module forselecting the target group from a group of potential message recipientsbased upon a target criterion.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thetarget criterion corresponds to a location of each potential messagerecipient relative to a predefined targeted region.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the system selects the target group based upon apotential message recipient satisfying the target criterion at apredetermined time.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising aplurality of locatable wireless communication devices.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the system includes a location sensing module.
 6. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the location sensing module comprises aGPS-based location module.
 7. The system of claim 2, wherein the targetgroup selecting module selects the target group from the group ofpotential message recipients based upon each potential messagerecipient's being within the targeted region during a prescribed timeinterval.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the target group selectingmodule identifies to a system user each potential message recipient whosatisfies the target criterion.
 9. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a polling module for polling each member of the selectedtarget group.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the polling modulepolls each member of the selected target group who is within aprescribed message space within a prescribed time interval.
 11. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein each member of the selected target groupresponds to the polling module's polling by transmitting a response. 12.The system of claim 11, wherein the response is transmitted to at leastone other member of the selected target group.
 13. The system of claim9, wherein the polling module concludes the polling within a prescribedperiod of time.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the polling modulepasses results of the polling to the messaging platform which transmitsto members of the selected target group results of the polling.
 15. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the target group selecting module selects thetarget group by observing at different intervals an amount of time thata potential message recipient is within the targeted region; anddesignating a potential message recipient to be a member of the targetgroup based upon at least one of number of time intervals that thepotential message recipient is in the targeted region, and, amount oftime per different interval that the potential message recipient is inthe targeted region.
 16. A method of targeted messaging over atelecommunications system, the method comprising the steps of: defininga targeted region; selecting a target group from a group of potentialmessage recipients based upon the location of each potential messagerecipient relative to the targeted region; transmitting a message to theselected target group.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step ofselecting comprises selecting the target group from the group ofpotential message recipients based upon each potential messagerecipient's being within the targeted region during a prescribed timeinterval.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step ofpolling each member of the selected target group.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the step of polling comprises polling each member ofthe selected target group who is within the targeted region during aprescribed time interval.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein eachmember of the selected target group responds to the polling bytransmitting a response.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein theresponse is transmitted to at least one other member of the selectedtarget group.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of polling isconcluded within a prescribed period of time.
 23. The method of claim20, further comprising the step of transmitting to members of theselected target group results of the polling.
 24. The method of claim16, wherein the step of selecting comprises observing at differentintervals an amount of time that each potential message recipient iswithin the targeted region; and deciding to designate a potentialmessage recipient to be a member of the target group based upon at leastone of number of time intervals that the potential message recipient isin the targeted region, and, amount of time per different interval thatthe potential message recipient is in the targeted region.
 25. Acomputer readable storage medium for use with a telecommunicationsystem, the storage medium comprising computer instructions for:defining a targeted region; selecting a target group from a group ofpotential message recipients based upon a location of each potentialmessage recipient relative to the targeted region; and transmitting amessage to the selected target group.
 26. The computer readable storagemedium of claim 25, wherein the computer instruction for selecting atarget group comprises a computer instruction for selecting the targetgroup from the group of potential message recipients based upon eachpotential message recipient's being within the targeted region during aprescribed time interval.
 27. The computer readable storage medium ofclaim 25, wherein the computer instruction for selecting a target groupcomprises a computer instruction for: observing at different intervalsan amount of time that each potential message recipient is within thetargeted region; and deciding to designate a potential message recipientto be a member of the target group based upon at least one of number oftime intervals that the potential message recipient is in the targetedregion, and, amount of time per different interval that the potentialmessage recipient is in the targeted region.
 28. The computer readablestorage medium of claim 25, further comprising a computer instructionfor polling each member of the selected target group.